Looks like Stephen and I will be brewing an ale this Saturday we’ve been talking about for quite some time, a Belgian Strong Golden Ale. The classic commercial example of this ale is Duvel.

I had a hell of a time finding the Wyeast 1388 yeast, and finally found it at Williams Brewing. Probably the biggest departure for me on this batch is the high amount of cane sugar it calls for, six pounds – and it needs to be cane sugar to help match the flavor profile of the style. Tradionally, this ale has an extended mash that starts unheated and then is stepped through the various conversion temperatures so that as much of the starch as possible is broken down by the enzymes, but we’ll be doing single infusion mash (probably 90 minutes) at 149 degrees.